Order Paper

1.   Prayers

2.   Members’ Statements

3.   Executive Committee Business

Second Stage: Credit Unions (Amendment) Bill (NIA Bill 47/22-27)

Minister for the Economy

4.   Question Time

4.1     Education

5.   Private Members’ Business

Motion: Barriers to Remote Working across the Island of Ireland

Proposed:

That this Assembly recognises the value of the all-island labour market, with the Ireland and Northern Ireland: A joint census publication 2021-2022 finding that over 18,000 workers regularly travel both ways across the border for work; acknowledges the barriers facing cross-border workers, particularly those seeking to work remotely, as a result of tax complexities; further recognises that the current arrangements mean that workers living here cannot work remotely for an employer in the south of Ireland, unless their employer operates a second payroll; notes that this is a barrier for workers applying for remote working jobs based in the south of Ireland and that it can leave them open to paying double taxation; welcomes the Minister of Finance's recent meeting with Chartered Accountants Ireland to discuss these issues, thereby ensuring they remain on the political agenda; and calls on the Minister of Finance to write to the governments in Dublin and London to request a bilateral agreement that would reinstate Transborder Workers' Relief for cross-border workers and remove the barriers preventing workers from availing of remote working opportunities.

Ms Aoife Finnegan

Mr Colm Gildernew

Mr Pádraig Delargy

Miss Jemma Dolan

Motion: Expansion of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders

Proposed:

That this Assembly believes the removal of foreign national offenders can reduce pressure on the local prison estate and ensure that public money is not unnecessarily spent on individuals who have no right to remain in the United Kingdom; further believes that the current operation of the early removal scheme does not sufficiently prioritise the public interest in that participation is voluntary and only permits removal up to a maximum of 135 days before a determinate custodial sentence expires; expresses concern at the unwillingness of the Minister of Justice to countenance strengthening the scheme despite having the requisite powers to do so; stresses that the current number of applications under the existing arrangements should prompt the Minister to examine how the scheme can be made more effective, rather than constitute a reason for retaining the status quo; calls on the Minister of Justice, in consultation with the Home Office, to bring forward legislation to make early removal compulsory for fixed-term foreign prisoners; and further calls on the Minister to reconsider her rejection of proposals to allow these offenders to be removed at a substantially earlier point in their custodial sentence.

Mr Gareth Wilson

Mr Jonathan Buckley

Mr Paul Frew

6.   Adjournment
     

Domiciliary Care in Newry and Armagh

Mr Gareth Wilson